Rewriting Maimonides (original) (raw)

2018, Rewriting Maimonides

This book originated during my doctoral training at the University of Chicago. I was fortunate to have an eclectic doctoral committee that encapsulated the breadth of skills necessary to study commentaries on the Guide: Glenn Most, the theorist, taught me to approach commentary not simply as a response to some text, but as a complex phenomenon with untold ramifications; Josef Stern, the philosopher, taught me to view commentaries on the Guide as texts that bring forward something philosophically worthwhile; and my advisor, James Robinson, the historian, taught me to evaluate the significance of the genre in the context of a history of Jewish thought. In addition, this work builds upon Prof. Robinson's detailed attention to form and the role of literary vehicles in the transmission of ideas. Words cannot express my debt of gratitude for the openness and patience of these three scholars. To them I owe not only this book, but also my core intellectual values. While at Chicago, I received generous support from the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies for research trips to Israel. I would like to acknowledge the donors who made that support possible, and the vigorous fundraising efforts of then-director Josef Stern. Research for this book was conducted during my tenure as a Flegg Post-doctoral fellow at McGill University. My deepest thanks to the Department of Jewish Studies for hosting me in Montréal. I wish to acknowledge the very generous support provided by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hoffer and the Flegg family for the postdoctoral program. A very special thanks to Carlos Fraenkel, chair of the department, for the friendly welcome to a fellow Brazilian, and for the many conversations and ideas about this book. My thanks, too, go to Lawrence J. Kaplan, Yael Halevi Weiss, and Daniel Heller. I also wish to thank the students in my graduate course on Maimonidean parshanut, with whom I discussed some of the central concerns of this book. This book would not have seen the light of day without the unconditional and enthusiastic support of Racheli Haliva, Director of the Maimonides Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Hamburg, and the editor of this series. Racheli gave me innumerable suggestions and encouraged me at every step of the way. I have learned much from her careful scholarship. Our long conversations on the Maimonidean heritage, and on much more, showed me what it means to truly acquire a chaver. I am also grateful for the significant administrative support I have received from my current institution, Yale University. Amy Hungerford, Divisional Director of Humanities, offered me a flexible teaching schedule along with a course release, which allowed me to dedicate my time to bringing this project to final fruition. The Judaic Studies Program provided me with a research fund. I owe much to the Open Access.